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Monthly Archives: July 2012

Vegetable Garden, Family and Little Cousins

1 The beautiful Tabitha loved walking around all the paths in the vegetable garden though she had to make her way through, to her, a jungle of broad beans and rocket.

Investigating the vegetable garden

2 While the children played on the beach, the ‘grown-ups’ had a drink in the Blue Bar!

My lovely brother and sister-in-law

3 The cousins, who have never met before, are having a whale of a time! As I write, they are in the bath together and all I can hear is lovely laughter, shrieks of delight and splashing water!

Cousins in conversation

PS To all my lovely readers, followers and commenters – I will be very busy this week and I plan to post my blog but won’t have time to read or comment on all the interesting blogs I follow. Forgive me for a week! I will be back…….

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 11, 2012 in family, garden, Uncategorized

Tags: brother, cousins, laughter, lovely laughter, Postaday, sister-in-law, vegetable garden, whale of a time

Celebration, Flowers by the Sea and Grandchildren

10 Jul

1 Before everyone else arrives, we took L out for lunch to celebrate her Masters! We went to a fabulous restaurant, The Cove, overlooking the sea at Maenporth, near Falmouth and ate a very delicious lunch.

2 We all walked along the beach for a bit after our lunch and I found dandelions, poppies and a bee.

3 Our beautiful Grandchildren have arrived and already the house is full of happy chuckles.

Our Starter: Homemade Foccacia with Olive oil and Balsamic

L’s Starter: Sole Fillet with Mussel and Saffron Sauce and Straw Potatoes

Special Hake with Butter Sauce, Bacon and Cabbage

Pork Tenderloin with Pork and Apple Sausage and a Coarse Grain Mustard and Herb Sauce

Crispy Deep Fried Tiger Prawns with Aioli and Gremolata

L’s pudding which we shared: Milk Chocolate Slice with a Chocolate Truffle

Flowers by the beach

Poppies with dandelions

Bee on a dandelion. Just look at the delicate veining on the wings.

17 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 10, 2012 in Cornwall, Eating out, flowers, Food, Maenporth, nature, Uncategorized

Tags: delicious lunch, fabulous restaurant, grandchildren, lunch, Masters Degree, poppies, The Cove, undefined

First Passion Flower, Meeting and Caponata

09 Jul

1 The passion flower has given us a beautiful bloom at last. Yesterday’s bit of sun must have encouraged it – as it did all of us!

White Passion Flower

2 An ex-pupil of mine is on holiday in Cornwall with her partner and wanted to meet up which was really sweet of her. We had a lovely time over coffee in The Gylly Beach Cafe in Falmouth catching up after six years. What a beautiful young lady (inside and out) she is now at 22!

3 Last delicious dish made for the reunion week – Sicilian Caponata which is beautiful and very colourful, will serve as a side dish for the meat eaters and is substantial enough to be a stand-alone veggie dish when served with some tasty bread.

Sicilian Caponata

14 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 9, 2012 in baking, Cornwall, Falmouth, flowers, Food, garden, nature, Uncategorized

Tags: food, nature, passion flower, plants, Postaday, Sicilian Caponata, The Gylly Beach cafe, vegetarian food

Woodpecker,Third Daughter and Singing in the Kitchen

08 Jul

1 We had a beautiful visitor at the feeder today, a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker! Here’s a photo but you’ll have to look very carefully. He’s hanging from the lower feeder just right of centre!

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

2 Our beautiful third daughter arrived today for the reunion! Second beautiful daughter will be here on Tuesday and first beautiful daughter on Friday and we will Skype with Daniel (son and twin to Daughter 3) in Barcelona and Ami in Senegal as they, sadly, can’t join us.

3 It was our kitchen’s turn to host The Treggies this evening and what a cracking good sing of Cornish songs we’ve had! I made some Marmite Scones and Red Onion for the singers! (Recipe on the Recipe pages)

No 4 A bonus! My sister in Hawaii sent me this picture which I love for its exuberance and philosophy.

10 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 8, 2012 in baking, birds, community, family, Food, music, nature, singing, Uncategorized

Tags: cornish songs, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Marmite and Red Onion Scones, Postaday, Red Onion and Marmite Scones

Singing at a Wedding, Owl Quilt and Flowers for a Friend

07 Jul

Illogan Parish Church

Hydrangers and ribbons

The Ingleheart Singers, bass, tenor and alto

The Ingleheart Singers, altos and sopranos

Owl quilt by Linda Hemmell

Garden flowers for friends

1 My choir, The Ingleheart Singers, sang at a wedding (for the son of one of our members) this morning. It was such a lovely happy event that we were privileged to be at. You can click on any photo for an enlargement.

2 The beautiful owl quilt, by Linda Hennell, belonged to my parents and is coming out for the reunion.

3 We are going out tonight to have a meal with friends. I picked this beautiful bunch of non-scented flowers in the garden to take with us.

: Illogan Parish Church

: Hydrangers and ribbons

: The Ingleheart Singers, bass, tenor and alto

: The Ingleheart Singers, altos and sopranos

: Owl quilt by Linda Hemmell

: Garden flowers for friends

As asked, I have put two new recipes on my Recipe Page –

Sweet Potato and Chestnut Roast
Vegetable Ring

9 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 7, 2012 in community, craft, flowers, Food, garden, music, nature, sewing, singing, Uncategorized, Wedding

Tags: food, Illogan Church, Linda Hemmell, owls, Postaday, quilt, recipes, The Ingleheart Singers, wedding

Marmalade, Unfurling Fern and a Buzzard

06 Jul

1 To make room in the freezer for the party food, I took out some Seville oranges and some apple puree and , I think, invented a new Apple and Orange Marmalade. It’s delicious!

Apple and Orange Marmalade

2 Our Tree Fern is settling in and today I noticed a beautiful new unfurling frond.

Unfurling frond

3 We’ve been hearing buzzards calling over the last few days and today saw one in the field behind our house, busy with something. What a beautiful bird, rather too far away to get a good photo.

Buzzard in the back field

9 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 6, 2012 in baking, birds, flowers, Food, nature

Tags: buzzards, food, marmalade, nature, plants, Postaday, tree fern

Forgotten Foxglove, Vegetable Ring and Fuchsias

05 Jul

1 We discovered this fallen-over self-seeded foxglove some time ago and brought it out of hiding. Now it has straightened itself up.

Forgotten foxglove

2 I made a mini vegetable ring today (as I saw demonstrated at the Pampered Chef party). I had no recipe but did what I thought I remembered and it has worked. I’ll put the recipe up on my Recipe page soon.

Vegetable Ring

2 The fuchsia flowers in our harlequin hedge are in flower. Many years ago, I was given these beautiful earrings to remind me of my beloved Cornwall.

Fuschia in the harlequin hedge

Very precious present

29 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 5, 2012 in baking, Cornwall, flowers, Food, garden, nature

Tags: foxglove, fuschia, Pampered Chef, Postaday, recipe, vegetable ring, vegetarian

Changing Mat, 100 Chinese Children and Another Phone Box

04 Jul

1 Yesterday we bought a new changing mat. To me, this is beautiful as it means we have a baby Granddaughter visiting very soon!

2 When we stayed with my sister in Phoenix last year she gave me a beautiful embroidery which we have just put up in the room in which the Grandchildren sleep. It is very detailed and lovely and shows children playing at some kind of celebration.

Googling the legend, I discovered that “These wall hangings depict not only the life of Chinese children but also the Chinese legend of 100 children. In the wall hanging, there are 99 individual children, but together they are one. The legend of 100 Children brings good luck as 100 is considered a lucky number and represents bounty and abundance.”

I have counted and there are 99 children!

: New changing mat

: One Hundred Chinese Children

: The dragon at the centre

: A flower and a butterfly

: Musicians

: Lighting firecrackers. I love the children with their hands over their ears!

: Dancing

: Old telephone box in Blackwater

: Used as the village notice board

: View from The Pavilion

3 Driving through Blackwater today, I discovered another old ‘phone box, this one being used as the Village notice board! For anyone that missed the other delight, you can find it here http://wp.me/p1Ypl6-Id

Just a short PS….. Yesterday’s gig, Mike and the Mechanics, was fabulous! I haven’t danced so much in ages, spent the evening with a smile on my face and came home quite euphoric! A beautiful evening and the view above to boot ……..

and afterwards we went to listen to the sea lapping on the shore – utter bliss! How lucky we are.

10 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 4, 2012 in art, community, craft, embroidery, embroidery, Falmouth Pavilion, family, gigs, music, Uncategorized

Tags: 100 Chinese children, legend, Mike and the Mechanics, Phoenix, phone box, Postaday, utter bliss

Happy Days, Web and Three Wise Monkeys

03 Jul

1 We followed this camper van home from Truro today. I like their philosophy!

2 This beautiful web was dripping with jewel-like drops of water and then I spotted the little spider. You’ll have to click on the photo to see it.

3 I showed you the monkey planter sometime ago – now it is in flower!

: Roughing it smoothly

: Spider with web covered in raindrops

: Three Wise monkeys in flower

I’m posting early today as we are off to see Mike and The Mechanics tonight and could be late home.

25 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 3, 2012 in art, environment, flowers, garden, insects, nature, sculpture, Uncategorized

Tags: nature, photography, Postaday

The Cradle, Hydranger Seemanii and Flapjack

02 Jul

1 I love this painting by Berthe Morrisot which I first saw in the Musee d’Orsay, in Paris many years ago. A print now hangs on our landing so that I see it every day. I had to photograph it at an angle to stop the reflection. I hope you can see how lovely it is.